The LED lighting technology development has brought people even closer to nature. Signify, the Dutch lighting giant previously known as Philips, has provided Puerto de la Cruz, a city on the north coast of Tenerife, Canary Islands, with its smart street lightings which use special optics to decrease light spillage that intervene sky observation.

The Spanish government has set law to protect the quality of the sky in Canary Island and pushes municipalities in the island to take measures such as banning usage of high-pressure mercury lamps or white light lamps for controlling lighting pollution.

(Image: Signify)

To meet the standard of the sky protection law, Signify provided solutions with its smart street lightings. The project involves 6,000 street lights including 3000 Philips Luma and 1500 Philips ClassicStreet luminaires that will be monitored and managed with Signify’s Interact City street lighting system.

The LED modules within the luminaires contain special color optics that create a “light recipe” by filtering out mainly blue light, the part of the light spectrum most associated with sky glow. The same optics also shape the direction of the light giving excellent light distribution.

The project also includes a pilot plan with 100 street lights (Philips SR luminaires) equipped with sockets to connect with sensors to monitor noise, pollution or traffic for future applications. Installation of the street lights controlled by the Interact City lighting system and management software is scheduled to complete in August. It is anticipated that the installation in Puerto de la Cruz will save about 65% energy in comparison with conventional lighting.

(Image: Signify)

Paul Peeters, Business Leader of Professional Lighting in Europe for Signify said, "Our street lights are fitted with LED modules with special optical plates that filter out blue light and direct the light to the ground. These energy efficient street lights will also be wirelessly connected to our lighting system and management software so that they may be dimmed or turned up remotely."

"For astronomers and those who enjoy starlit nights, the quality of our skies is second to none. We want to preserve this precious resource and at the same time make our streets even safer for citizens and tourists," said Lope Afonso, Mayor of Puerto de la Cruz.